Josh Slagter | MLive.comRedshirt freshman quarterback Connor Cook is hoping to prove he deserves a serious look at being the starter this fall.

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State quarterback Andrew Maxwell has what his teammates are calling swag, and his projected backup, Connor Cook, has quite a bit of confidence as well.

Despite coach Mark Dantonio having named Maxwell the starter, listing him there on the preseason depth chart, and bringing him to Big Ten media day, Cook is still approaching training camp as an opportunity to compete for the starting job.

"I’m doing as best as I can do to win that spot, and if the coaches like that, then cool," Cook said Wednesday. "I’m just going out here, and I’m trying to get that No. 1 spot like everyone else, just coming out here and trying to win that quarterback position, just trying to be the best that I can be."

The 6-foot-4 Cook said he derives his confidence from the experience of working with the Spartans’ top receivers during that time and said he currently has good timing with them because of it.

"Any time you can get that many reps in the spring and then playing on both teams in the spring game, executing plays, getting the timing down with the receivers, it’s definitely a confidence-booster," Cook said. "I feel like if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be nearly as confident as I am now coming into fall camp. I just feel like a really confident quarterback."

Maxwell, a junior in his fourth year with the program, has done well in camp thus far from Cook's perspective as the heir apparent to replace three-year starter Kirk Cousins.

"I’ve seen a lot of focus," Cook said. "He has very, very good command of the offense. He’s been here for a while in the same system. He’s just real comfortable in the pocket. He’s got a strong arm, and he’s very accurate."

At the same time, Cook isn’t conceding the starting job to Maxwell just yet.

"I’m going out here every single day, and I’m just trying to win the quarterback position every single day, be the best quarterback I can be, be the best quarterback on the field, win that, and just hope for the best," Cook said.

"You want to push all the other quarterbacks. I want to come into practice, and I want to make Tyler O’Connor better, I want to make Tommy Vento, Peter (Badovinac), Andrew, Paul Andrie, I just want to push them."